WASHINGTON NATIVES TAKE TITLES AT
THUNDERBIRD INTERNATIONALMoore fires a 68 in Boys Division, while Elston cards
a 73 to take Girls Division

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Ryan Moore of Puyallup,
Wash., carded his third consecutive round in the 60s
to take the Boys Division crown at the AJGA Thunderbird
International Junior on Monday. It was a Washington
sweep as Lani Elston of Spokane won the Girls Division.
The pair also took their respective titles last week
at the Washington State 4A High School Championships.

The
54-hole event, conducted by the American Junior Golf
Association, was held at the Raptor Course at Grayhawk
Golf Club, the home club of AJGA alum and PGA Tour standout
Phil Mickelson. The second annual invitational featured
90 of the top juniors from around the world, representing
20 states and 12 countries, with 63 AJGA Polo Golf Junior
All-Americans and 24 international players.

The 18-year-old Moore, who led the entire tournament,
fired rounds of 67-67-68 for a total of 14-under-par
202 on the par-72, 7,103-yard layout for a three-shot
victory. His biggest lead of the day came after a chip-in
on No. 16 from 50 feet to go to 15-under. He followed
the birdie with a bogey on No. 17, only his second of
the three-round tournament.

"I didn't make any mistakes and did not have
too many errant shots," the UNLV-signee said. "I
controlled the ball really well. I kept it in the fairway,
hit a lot of greens and made putts."

This event was Moore's second AJGA victory, his first
coming in 1999 at the AJGA Boise Junior Classic. It
was also his third win in row after taking the crown
at the Pugent Sound Amateur and the Washington State
4A High School Championship in the two weeks prior.

"This win is huge for me," Moore said. "This
is an incredible field and to win this, which is one
of my last junior events, is awesome. To go out this
way feels good."

Anthony Kim of La Quinta, Calif., fired a second consecutive
67 to finish three shots off the lead at 205. Chan Song
Wongluekiet of Bradenton, Fla., who won the inaugural
event last year, placed third at 210. Rounding out the
top five were Kevin Na of Diamond Bar, Calif., at 212,
and Rick Kulacz of Perth, Australia, at 215.

In the Girls Division, University of Idaho-bound Elston
carded rounds of 74-72-73 for a total of 3-over-par
219 to win her first AJGA event. After double bogeys
on No. 1 in the first two rounds, she parred the first
hole to get the day started. After finishing the front
nine at even-par, she birdied No. 10 after playing a
10-foot-break.

"I played consistent today," the 18-year-old
said. "I knew where I stood most of the day. I
had bogeys on No. 15 and 16, so I told myself that I
needed to get back to business and play my game on No.
17. On No. 18, I knew all I had to do was two-putt,
so I tried to lag it and I had a tap-in for par.

"I can't believe I won," she continued.
"I am so excited to have pulled this one out."

One stroke off the pace at 220 was Aimee Cho of Orlando,
Fla. Kelly Husted of Sarasota, Fla., took third with
a 222 total, while Jackie Beers of Midlothian, Va.,
placed fourth at 223. Jessica Shepley of Oakville, Ontario,
and Erica Blasberg of Corona, Calif., tied for fifth
with three-day totals of 224.

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Leadership Links

What is Leadership Links?

Leadership Links is a new program whereby the AJGA is able to further its mission to help develop young men and women by teaching charitable giving skills and service-oriented practices at an early age. This program gives juniors all the tools necessary to donate their time, talent and resources to local charities and the AJGA youth development programs. Please click here to learn more about the program and the different opportunities available.

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